THE PROPHETIC MEDICINE AND RAW, NATURAL, PURE COW''''S MILK pot

The Prophetic Medicine And
Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk

A Religious, Scientific And Historical Account
Of Raw, Pure Cow’s Milk As A Cure And
Medicinal Treatment
For Disease

With A Brief Discussion of the Compositional, Biochemical, Nutritive and
Immunological Elements of Milk, The Social Circumstances Behind
the Adoption of Pasteurisation in 20
th
Century Industrialized Nations
And the Superiority of Real, Natural Milk Over Processed, Treated Milk

Ibn al-Qayyim stated, “The medicine of the followers of the Prophet is more
sound and more beneficial than that of any others. Thus the medicine of the
followers of the Seal and Master and Leader of the prophets, Muhammad bin
‘Abdullaah, (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) is the most perfect medicine, the
soundest and the most beneficial. This will only be recognised by one who
knows both the medicine of other people and that of the followers of the
Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) and then compares them, whereupon
the difference will become clear to him”. (Zaad al-Ma’aad 3/380)

From Ibn Mas’ood (radiallaahu `anhu) who narrates that the Messenger of Allaah
(sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said,        
       “Take cow’s milk as (medicinal) treatment
for indeed I hope that Allaah places a healing therein, for indeed it ruminates
upon every herbage”. Related by at-Tabaraanee and declared Hasan by Imaam al-

Albaanee in Saheeh al-Jaami’ as-Sagheer (no. 2929).

From Taariq bin Shihaab who narrates that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu
alayhi wasallam) said,            
      “Indeed, Allaah the Most High, did not create a
disease except that he created for it a cure, so upon you is cow’s milk for indeed it
ruminates upon every herbage”. Reported in the Musnad of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and
declared Saheeh by Imaam al-Albaanee in Saheeh al-Jaami’ as-Sagheer (no. 1808).



Version 1.20



The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk
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Contents

Introduction 5
Raw Milk As A Controversial Issue 5
Terms and Definitions 7
A Review of Raw Milk Covered on HealthyMuslim.Com 8
Clarifying The Raw Milk That Is Under Discussion 12
Brief Summary of This Paper on the Issue of Milk 15
Regarding Pure, Fresh, Raw Milk And Its Health Benefits 17
The Qur’aan, the Sunnah, and the Prophetic Medicine on Fresh, Raw, Unprocessed, Natural Milk 18
The Prophetic Guidance is the Most Perfect Guidance in the Management of Health 18
The Prophetic Medicine Came As a Completion of the Divine Law 18
From The Prophetic Guidance In Relation to the Management of the Affairs of Health Is the Excellency

and Blessings of Real, Pure, Fresh, Unprocessed Milk 18
Fresh, Pure, Natural Milk Is the Most Beneficial of Drinks and Is In Agreement (Suitable) To the Fitrah 19
Fresh, Pure, Raw Milk Is Not the Swill and Slop Milk of the 19
th
and early 20
th
centuries. 20
The Messenger Used to Drink Pure, Unprocessed, Raw Milk, Straight from the Animal 21
Nations and Societies For Thousands of Years Have Prospered and Attained Superior Health by Way of
Real, Pure, Fresh (Non-Pasteurized, Non-Homogenized) Milk 21
Real, Pure, Natural Milk Is a Remedy and a Cure For Every Disease According to the Sunnah 23
Milk As A Cure and As Medicine From the Speech of The Messenger 26
Health and Medicinal Benefits of Real, Raw, Pure, Unprocessed, Fresh Natural, Living Milk 28
Historical Books on Milk As A Cure For Many Diseases in History 28
Publications in the Edinburgh Medical Journal in the 19
th
Century 29
Some Quotes from “Real Milk Cures Many Diseases” of Dr. J.R. Crewe 29
Donkin and Tyson on Curative Milk and Milk Treatment of Disease 31
Dr. Charles Porter, “Milk Diet as a Remedy for Chronic Illness” 31
“The Miracle of Milk”, Bernarr MacFadden 32
Fresh Living Milk, Asthma and Allergies 33
The “Raw Milk” Cure and the Prophetic Hadeeth 34
Fresh, Raw Milk Was Used to Cure Tuberculosis 36
The Fresh, Raw, Curative Milk and the Placebo Effect 37
Intelligent, Well-Read, Open-Minded People Know the Realities 38
Fine Words By Ibn al-Qayyim 40
Testimonial: Demonstrative of the Superiority of the Prophetic Medicine Over That of the Physicians,
Doctors and Scientists 46
More Testimonials 49

No More Need for Antibiotics 50
Raw Milk Cures Asthma 50
Raw Milk Removes Allergy, Infections and Illness 51
Raw Milk Removes Abdominal Cramps and Gas Problem 51
Raw Milk Consumption Leads to Superior Health in Family 51
Raw Milk Cures Allergies and Chronic Hives 52



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Raw Milk Cures Allergies, and Banishes Need for Medications 52
Raw, Pure Milk Completely Cures Ear Infections and Wheezing – Inferior and Profit-Motive Driven
“Symptoms Management” Medications Made Redundant 52
Raw Milk Treats Arthritis – “Symptoms Management” Medication Unnecessary 53
Raw Milk and Raw Milk Based Products Completely Heal Bladder Infections, Eczema and Early Onset
Arthritis 53
Raw Milk Helps Family Health Problems 53
Raw, Pure Milk Helps Develop Healthy Children 53
No More Allergies and Illness with Raw Goat’s Milk 54
Raw Milk Helps Cure Ear Infections and Produce Healthier Teeth 54
Anaphylactic Reactions to Pasteurised Milk But Not to Raw Milk 54
Illness, Allergies and Stomach Cramp Associated with Pasteurized Milk Is Not Associated with Raw, Pure
Milk 54
No Bloating With Raw Milk 55
Raw Milk Provides Superior Health and Lessens Allergies 55
Raw Milk Treats Cold-Induced Asthma in Child 56
No More Eczema Due to Raw Milk 56
Allergic To Pasteurized Milk But Not Raw 56
Revitalized with Superior Health Due to Cures and Healing with Raw Milk 57

Raw Milk Causes Allergies to Disappear 58
Raw Milk Puts and End to Bloating, Cramping, and Constipation 58
Raw, Pure Milk Heals Stiff Lower Back Problem 58
Raw Milk’s Role In Making Children Healthiest They Have Ever Been 58
Raw Milk – No More Allergies 59
Raw Milk and the Commodotization of the Food Supply 59
Raw Milk Leads to a Healthier Baby 60
Raw Milk Heals Ulcerative Colitis 61
Family’s Health Improves After Disregarding FDA and Media Advice on Raw Milk 61
Raw Milk is Highest Quality Milk 62
Pakistani Can’t Do Without Raw Milk 62
Raw Milk Leads to Better Skin 62
Raw Milk Cures Case of Hypothyroidism 62
Raw, Pure Milk Treatment in Child with Cerebral Palsy 63
Raw Dairy “Returns Life” To Severely Sick Individual 63
No More Muscle and Joint Pain with Raw Dairy 63
Raw Milk Improves Asthma 63
Ten Years on Raw Milk, No Negative Experiences 63
Raw Milk Heals Asthma, Hay Fever, Gout Attacks 64
Raw Milk Heals Asthma and Allergies 64
Raw Milk Heals Osteoporosis and Arthritis 64
The Benefits of Fresh, Pure Milk Are Known From Its Natural (non-Denatured) Composition 66
Fresh, Raw Milk Gives Birth To Good Strong Blood 66
The Nutritional, Physiological and Immunological Components Very Strongly Represented in Fresh, Raw
Milk 67
Immunoglobins 67
Enzymes and Enzyme Inhibitors 68
Growth Factors 68
Leucocytes 68

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Antibacterial Factors: Lactoferrin 68
Antibacterial Factors: Lactoperoxidase 69
Proteins, Carbohydrates and Others 70
Other Components 70
Lactic Acid Bacteria Are Integral and Fundamental to the Human Immune System 71
Research in the Early 20
th
Century Indicating Effect of Pasteurisation Upon Milk’s Inherent Physiology
and Immunity 73
Pasteurisation Destroys the Inherent Immunity in Cow’s Milk 74
Raw Milk Has Natural Anti-Food Poisoning Properties 75
More on the Lactoperoxidase System in Raw Milk 76
Lactic Acid Bacteria That Are Mostly Wiped Out By Pasteurisation Are Bactericidal, They Release
Bacteriocins That Inhibit “Pathogenic” Bacteria 76
The Lancet: Randomised Controlled Trials on Raw Human Milk 77
The Journal of Pediatrics: Influence of Heat Treatment of Human Milk on Some Of Its Protective
Constituents 78
Effect of Pasteurisation on Bactericidal Activity of Human Milk 79
Effect of Pasteurisation on Raw Camel Milk 80
General Issues on Metabolic Availability 80
Expert Witness Testimony Regarding Raw Milk and Pasteurised Milk 82
Fresh, Raw, Pure Milk Has Life and is Living, Heat-Treated, Pasteurised Milk is Inert, Lifeless and
Essentially Dead 87
Pasteurised Milk and Diabetes 87
Heated Milk Proteins and Heart Disease 89
Important Words Regarding Studies of Effect of Homogenisation on Metabolism of Milk 91

Corruption of the Milk Supply in 19
th
Century Industrialized Nations and The Circumstances Behind
the Adoption of Pasteurization 95

Raw Milk That Must Be Pasteurised 95
19
th
Century Industrialization, Expansion of Cities and the Milk Supply 95
Glimpses into the Swill and Slop Milk of the Era 97
Summary of 19
th
and 20
th
Century Slop Milk Distillery Dairies 104
We Have the Same Quality Milk Today 105
16,000 Culture-Confirmed Cases and Almost 200,000 Affected in Pasteurised Milk Epidemic –
Antimicrobial Resistant Salmenollosis 106
A Brief Word About Pasteurised Milk and Bacteria 106
Milk Acidity from Conventional Dairy Farms and Bacterial Acid-Resistance 108
Today’s Mass-Produced Pasteurised Milk 109
Comparison Between What 19
th
and 20
th
Century “Distillery Dairies” Fed Their Cattle To What Today’s
Conventional Dairy Cows Are Fed On 109
The Certified Milk Movement of Henry Coit and Pasteurisation 114
The Doctors Were the Most Vocal in Opposition to Pasteurisation 116
The Gradations of Milk in the Early 1900s 121

Summary of the Certified Milk Movement and Pasteurisation 126
An Example of Safe Fresh Milk Production 128
Health and Safety Concerns Regarding Fresh, Raw Milk 130
The Non-Issue of Tuberculosis 130
Food-Poisoning Associated with Campylobacter Has Increased Exponentially Independently of Raw Milk
Consumption 134
Keeping Things in Perspective and in Context 142



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Regarding Public Health and Safety 144
Pasteurised Milk Outbreaks of Food Poisoning 146
Pasteurised Milk Outbreaks in the UK 146
Pasteurized Milk Epidemic: Massive outbreak of antimicrobial-resistant salmonellosis traced to pasteurized
milk – Almost 200,000 Affected 147
Pasteurized Milk Epidemic: Interstate Yersinia Enterocolitica Outbreak – Hospitalizations and
Appendectomies 147
A Pasteurised Milk Outbreak Affecting 93 People in Pennsylvania and New Jersey 148
More Outbreaks Due To Pasteurised Milk 148
Pasteurised Milk Kills Three in 2008 in the State of Massachussets – Pasteurisation Heat Resistant Listeria
Monocytogenes 150
Raw Milk Naturally Occurring Lactic Acid Bacteria (Destroyed By Pasteurisation) Inhibit Listeria and
Salmonella 153
Anti-Bacterial Systems Present in Raw, Natural, Living Milk 154
More on Heat Resistance of Listeria Monocytogenes 155
Massive Staphylococcus Aureus Food Poisoning in Japan – 14,700 People Reported Ill 157
Pasteurised Milk Strengthens Bacterial Resistance to Anti-Microbial Agents 158
Pathogenic Bacteria Cells Can Remain Metabolically Active After Pasteurization 158

An Excellent Research Paper from Czechoslovakia on Pasteurization of Milk and Microbial Contaminants
159
Revisiting Food-Poisoning From “Raw Milk” 162
An Excellent and Pertinent Research Paper on the Subject of Foodborne Pathogens in Milk 164
On The Safety of Raw Milk 167
Why A Large Body of “Health Professionals” Warn Against Milk 171
Summary 172
A Few Thoughts 176
Concluding Remarks and Observations 178
Important Final Notes For Consideration 180
Closing Remark 181





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Introduction

Bismilllaahir-Rahmaanir-Raheem. All Praise is due to Allaah, we praise Him, seek His aid and His
Forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allaah from the evils of our souls and the evils of our actions.
Whomsoever Allaah guides there is none to misguide and whomsoever Allaah misguides there is none
to guide. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, alone, without any partners
and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.

This is a paper put together to provide some insights into the issue of raw, natural, fresh, pure cow’s
milk, around which there is “controversy” today. Considering that Allaah has referred to what is called
“labanan khaalisan  ” (pure milk) in the Qur’aan and considering that there are statements
from the Sunnah regarding the medicinal and curative properties of cow’s milk, it is a topic that is

worthy of investigation since cow’s milk is part of the “Prophetic Medicine”, as we shall see
inshaa’Allaah.

In this paper, we will look at the religious, scientific and historical issues connected to this matter with a
view to resolving the apparent controversies that surround the subject. The controversies revolve around
the beneficial health claims made regarding raw milk on the one hand and claims of the inherent danger
to health associated with raw milk consumption on the other.

This paper is an elaboration upon whatever has currently been published on HealthyMuslim.Com (as
of 4
th
December 2008)

Raw Milk As A Controversial Issue

In any discussion on any contested issue, it is vital that the pertinent facts and realities are established,
be they historical, scientific or religious. The realities of a situation ought to be known before
conclusions and judgements are made.

Therefore, this paper is intended as an information sharing exercise that will allow people to
develop their own “informed opinion” on the issue of “raw, pure milk”.

It is highly recommended that you suspend all judgement until you have sequentially read through this
entire document, and read through each and every single paragraph. Comments, observations,
corrections, objections, refutations – whatever can be thrown at it are very welcome.

In this paper we touch upon:

• Distinguishing between the different types of “raw milk” so as to avoid any confusion about
what specific milk we are speaking about,

• The benefits of fresh, pure, natural milk (as it always has been in the creation),
• It’s textually established medicinal and curative properties in the Sunnah,
• It’s wide use as a cure for a very broad range of chronic diseases in the 19
th
and early 20
th

century,
• It’s vast superiority over heat-treated milk,
• A review of the milk supply in the 19
th
and 20
th
centuries and unique historical precedents of
the time,



The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk
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• The background to adoption of pasteurisation and opposition to it from doctors and physicians
who fought for a naturally clean milk supply as opposed to an artificially (pasteurised) milk
supply,
• Understanding outbreaks of illness from raw and pasteurised milk by looking at the actual
evidences,
• Chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma and others associated with heated milk
proteins
• … and many other related topics.

This will provide a much broader and deeper context within which the most appropriate and correct

position(s) can be taken.

The main motivations behind the discussion of this topic are

1. To defend the Book of Allaah, the Prophetic Sunnah and the Prophetic Medicine from
statements of malignment and ridicule – implied, or explicit, intended or unintended – which
emanate from physicians and scientists, be they Muslim or non-Muslim.

2. To affirm and venerate the greatness of Allaah’s creative ability in His placing of such causes
and effects (al-asbaab wal-musabbibaat) within the creation for the benefit of mankind.

3. To establish the superiority of the Prophetic Medicine, which is a completion and perfection of
the Divine Sharee’ah.

10
th
January 2009











The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk
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Terms and Definitions

There are numerous terms often used in the paper that should be clarified here:

Pathogen

Coliform




Somatic Cell
Count



Bacteriocidal

Bacteriostatic

Lactic Acid
Bacteria

Chronic
Illness

This means “disease causing”.

This means “colony forming units” and this simply refers to how many bacterial
colonies are formed in a cell culture from a certain amount of a substance. It is used to
test the bacterial quality of the milk. It is NOT a measure of milk safety, as bacterial
presence in and of itself does not determine milk safety.

This refers to the number of white blood cells (leucocytes) found in one cubic
centimetre of milk. It is an indicator of the quality of milk. Higher counts indicate that
the cow is undergoing infection. This is not necessarily an indicator of the safety of
milk, but of its quality.

Description of something that kills bacteria

Description of something that stops growth of bacteria

Beneficial bacteria found in milk and which stimulate and modulate the immune
system as well as destroying, or outcompeting harmful bacteria.

Long term, or long-lasting illness (as opposed to acute illness – short term)

The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk
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A Review of Raw Milk Covered on HealthyMuslim.Com

We will briefly review the articles currently on HealthyMuslim.Com and point out what is covered and
raised in the five or six articles currently published (all before December 4
th
2008). The rest of this
paper is essentially a detailed treatment of what is briefly alluded to in these articles.

Untreated Raw Milk Gains in Popularity and Demand
/>

Wednesday, September 24 2008

This first article was chosen to give coverage to this topic in a balanced way, and it highlights numerous
important issues – such as health concerns, milk safety, types of raw milk and so on.

This is a newspaper report on the subject. Some of its contents:

• I stated as an introductory comment to the news article, “One thing to note when you read
about raw milk (as again there is a lot of propaganda and scaremongering against it) is that
there are two types of raw milk. Firstly, The raw milk that is produced from cows that are only
fed on pasture in the open. And secondly the raw milk from cows that are fed grains, are
injected with growth hormones (to produce more milk) and are kept in mass herds on solid
ground (not grass) to produce milk. Obviously the two types of raw milk are certainly not the
same.”

Here I distinguished between raw milk from grass-fed cows (their natural diet) kept in the open in their
natural habitat and raw milk from conventional dairies.

Quotes from the news report itself:

• “But aren't they dicing with disease? The Government would have us think so. "The risk of
food poisoning from unpasteurised milk is very real," says a spokeswoman from the Food
Standards Agency (FSA). "We particularly wouldn't recommend it for vulnerable people - the
sick, infants and the elderly." One of the main reasons raw milk was banned in the first place
was because 65,000 people caught TB from it. Although the likelihood of this happening today
is negligible, bovine TB is increasing.”

• “Elsewhere, the legislation is more draconian. In Scotland, raw milk has been banned since
1983 after a scary outbreak of milk-related illnesses. In America, you virtually have to own a
cow to get your hands on the stuff.”

These are just some instances in which government and state healthy authority concerns have been
mentioned in the course of the coverage of the issue. Also in the same article:

• “Thomas Cowan, a doctor from San Francisco, sees it as a big-versus-small business issue. “In
order to produce raw milk, you need healthy cows, which precludes big business. You can't
raise a healthy cow on anything but pasture. The giant dairies keep cows on concrete and feed
them grains, soya and sometimes even meat; they turn them into factory animals. And then the
cows get sick. You couldn't drink raw milk from those herds”.”




The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk
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• “In Britain, the small dairies are much cleaner now than they were when pasteurisation came
in. In addition, farmers who want to sell raw milk must pay for frequent tests.”

The article makes clear the difference between the raw milk intended for consumption and the raw milk
intended for pasteurisation. The latter is not safe milk – it must be pasteurised. And the article also
alludes to the frequent testing that the herds and milk (raw milk intended for consumption
) must
undergo.

Frequently Asked Questions on Raw Untreated Milk
/>
Wednesday, September 24 2008

This next article covers the superiority of fresh, natural raw milk from cattle fed on pasture over
pasteurised milk from a compositional, nutritive and immunological perspective and provides

biochemical evidence for that. It touches upon the issues of Tuberculosis and Brucellosis, and other
safety issues. In particular it covers:

• The living nature of raw, natural milk.
• Inferiority of pasteurised milk that retains all dead bacterial debris and causes allergies.
• Historical reasons for pasteurisation of milk.
• The practice of grass feeding (cows’ natural diet) has significant impact on cow’s immune
system and internal rumen – producing “pathogen” free milk.
• Immune and digestive aspects of raw, natural milk including immunoglobins and enzymes –
destroyed by pasteurisation

This article gives some evidence for the superiority of natural, pure, raw milk from a biochemical,
physiological and immunological perspective.

Drink It Raw: Great Article On Unprocessed Milk
/>
Thursday, November 13 2008

A fairly lengthy news report that goes into lots of detail about all aspects of the raw milk versus
pasteurised milk debate. It covers safety aspects of raw milk, the views of state regulatory bodies,
differences between raw and pasteurised milk, references to studies highlighting benefits of fresh raw
milk on health and allergy, the history of pasteurisation, the recognition of doctors in the early 20
th

century that milk pasteurisation destroys vital nutrients and enzymes, doctors in the early 19
th
century
using raw milk to cure diseases and much more.

It is a balanced article that covers a variety of issues.

Are You Drinking Living Milk Or Dead Milk?
/>
Saturday, November 15 2008

This provides expert testimony from strongly qualified professionals with outstanding credentials on the
subjects of pathology, illustrating the effect of pasteurisation upon the inherent immune systems of
milk, implications upon milk safety and related issues. The effects of pasteurisation and homogenisation



The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk
10
are discussed in the introduction to the information and the entire court transcript is available for
download at the end of the article.

The points covered in the article:

• Milk has been consumed since recorded history, without pasteurisation which was only used
widely in the early 1900s.
• This fresh, raw milk was safe for consumption otherwise it would have disappeared from the
diets of cultures
• Milk does not have to be free of bacteria in order to be safe.
• Pasteurized milk is more susceptible to “pathogens” since it’s inherent immunity has been
killed.
• Raw milk kills Listeria if it is inoculated into it, due to its inherent anti-microbial activity.
Pasteurised milk does not.
• Raw milk is living because it contains living components, lactic-acid bacteria are living
organisms, it also has white blood cells and other defence systems that are active working
components. Pasteurisation kills that life and activity.

The article establishes, from expert witness testimony (from dairy experts) that heated milk is inert,
lifeless, dead milk. This is the viewpoint of a specialist in the field of dairy microbiology, and this
matter is elaborated upon in this paper.

At the end of the same article is the following advice that is given:

“What Milk Should You Buy?

If you are in a position to get raw milk, you should try it. Just ensure that the farm you are
buying from has established hygiene standards in the collection and bottling of milk and
also have pathogen count tests on their milk. They should give you this information if you
ask. Here are some resources to help you find raw milk providers:

• From RealMilk.Com
• A UK Source

For the vast majority of people it may be difficult to get raw unprocessed milk. In that case
you should try to buy organic pasteurized milk which is NOT homogenized. If you can't
get it organic, then get pasteurized non-homogenized milk. By doing this, you are limiting
the extent of the problem with processed milk. If its organic, which means the cows are
pasture fed, then even if it is pasteurized, it is milk that will have better quality. So your
ideal choice in the absence of real milk, is organic, pasteurized but non-homogenized
milk.”

And a comment was added to this article on 16
th
November 2008,

“When getting raw milk you have to "know your source". In western countries, farms that

supply raw milk will be complying with certain standards and would be getting regular
pathogen tests or counts done on their milk. If you are going to get some raw milk, you can
ask the farm keepers about their standards and testing. It's just like any other food which



The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk
11
can undergo contamination such as salads and meats, leading to food poisoning. So you
have to know your source and ensure it meets standards of food hygiene.”

Illnesses Associated With Pasteurized, Homogenized Milk
/>
Monday, November 17 2008

An excerpt from a book covering illnesses associated with pasteurised, homogenised milk and raises the
subject of heart disease, diabetes with focus on allergies and conditions such as eczema, arthritis
respiratory problems.

Untreated Milk Cuts Childrens Allergies
/>
Wednesday, December 03 2008

This is a quotation of a news article that discusses published research on the effect of untreated
(unpasteurised) milk upon allergy in children. Specifically quoted in the article were the following
paragraphs:

“Untreated milk cuts children's allergies. Drinking “raw” milk could reduce children's risk
of suffering allergy-related conditions such as eczema and hayfever, new research
suggests. British academics investigating why farmers’ families suffer fewer allergies than

others found that even occasional consumption of raw unpasteurised milk had a powerful
effect. Just a couple of glasses a week reduced a child's chances of developing eczema by
almost 40 per cent and hayfever by 10 per cent. Blood tests revealed that drinking raw milk
more than halves levels of histamine, a chemical pumped out by cells in response to an
allergen. It is thought the milk contains bacteria that help to prime the immune system.

“But the findings, published in the Journal Of Allergy, asthma And Immunology, are
controversial because unpasteurized milk is also a source of potentially fatal food-
poisoning bugs. Raw milk was banned from sale in Scotland 20 years ago, and can be sold
by farmers in England and Wales only with labels clearly warning of the risks.”

“When researchers at the University of London analysed the diet and health of 4,700
primary school children in Shropshire, they found that those who lived on farms had
significantly fewer symptoms of asthma, hayfever and eczema. The study looked at
whether children were breast-fed and how often they were in contact with animals or
played in barns. The greatest benefits were found to come from drinking raw milk.”

In this article, the stated safety concern is clearly mentioned.

The same article also mentions the numerous food-poisoning incidents arising from pasteurised milk
over the years, discusses the effects of pasteurisation upon milk composition and quality, pointing out
the presence of anti-microbial residues in pasteurised milk, and makes mention of the state legal
requirements for provision of raw milk for public consumption.


The above gives an overall picture of the points being made and the issues addressed on
HealthyMuslim.Com in relation to this subject.

The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk
12
Clarifying The Raw Milk That Is Under Discussion

Firstly: It is important to make clear that when we use the phrase “raw milk” that we are clear about
what specifically is being spoken about:

• There is a “raw milk” that is described as “raw milk destined for pasteurisation”. This is
standard terminology in the industry. This milk comes from conventional dairies where the aim
is to maximise milk production using cows pretty much as production factories. Cows are fed
unnatural diets such as grains and feedlot aimed at artificially increasing milk yield and kept
indoors on concrete. The use of hormone injections to increase yield are commonplace too in
many countries. As they are prone to disease with this unnatural diet and habitat, they are
frequently ill and given antibiotics. This raw milk is not the milk I am speaking of, and this
“raw milk” is extremely dangerous as it routinely
tests for “pathogens” where those tests are
conducted. This milk must
be pasteurised to protect people as it is not truly natural, pure milk.
This milk forms almost all the supply found in developed nations. Because of the nature in
which it is produced from cattle and processed, this milk simply must be pasteurised
as it
poses serious danger to public health and safety.

• There is “raw milk” that is produced by small dairy farms all across the UK (and likewise the
US, and Europe). Fifteen years ago there were over 700 registered producers of raw milk in the
UK. With newer and stricter regulations coming into force around 10 years ago, this number
has dwindled to around 150-200 or so, which is a good thing. This group has to abide by very
strict legal requirements. The raw milk that I am speaking of does not even come from this
group exclusively.

 There is “raw milk” from a subset of the above group who use either conventional
dairy production (like in the first group), or a mix of conventional and natural dairy
production. Thus, this group still retains some unnatural methods (as it relates to the
cattle diet and habitat) – this would include a large number of so called “organic”
milk producers who take advantage of loose “organic” law standards to pass off
their milk as organic, and push out smaller competing local farms. This is not the
milk I am speaking of either.

 Then there is “raw milk” that is produced by another sub-group who feed their
healthy cattle on a totally natural diet (grass, shrubs, plants), allowing them to graze
in their natural habitat, with plenty of water, without the use of antibiotics and drugs
– these cows are naturally healthy. These are farmers registered and certified to
produce “raw milk intended for consumption”. They combine natural cattle
farming with compliance to strict government standards for bacterial counts and
“pathogen” testing. This is the milk that I am speaking about, and if you read all the
articles published on the website prior to 4
th
December 2008, you will realise this
very clearly. This is milk as Allaah placed it in the creation. Milk as it has always
been for thousands of years.

Therefore, it should be noted that the use of the terms “real milk”, “pure milk”, “fresh milk” or “raw
milk” wherever used in this paper should be considered synonymous and defined as follows:

Milk taken from healthy cows that are fed on herbage and pasture (i.e. their natural food)
allowed to remain in their natural habitat, acquired in a hygienic setting, and which has



The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk

13
not been fundamentally altered from its natural state by artificial processes such as
pasteurisation or homogenisation – all in compliance with state and national regulations
for hygiene, and bacterial and “pathogen” testing.

To emphasize, we are not speaking about raw milk from conventional mass-production dairies, or raw
milk from cattle fed on grains and feed lot and subjected to hormones and antibiotics, and ultimately
destined for pasteurisation.

This is also known as “raw milk” in the industry, and referred to as “raw milk destined for
pasteurisation”. Outbreaks are associated with this raw milk, as well as the pasteurised milk arising
from it – there are abundant examples. We are not speaking about this raw milk, but the fresh, real milk
as Allaah placed it in the creation.

Milk coming in the natural way is not as copious as that coming from mass-production dairies. The
former is superior in quality, nutrition and taste. The latter is cheap, low quality, inferior milk,
cleaned up for consumption, and is associated with much allergy and disease. Much of the milk-borne
diseases are associated with the “raw milk intended for pasteurisation” which is other than the raw milk
that we are speaking of here and on HealthyMuslim.Com.

Whenever the phrase “raw milk” is being used, I kindly ask that you keep this
constantly in mind

whilst you read the rest of what is in this paper inshaa’Allaah, as it could be referring to three different
types of raw milk. I am only speaking of one of these – the milk that Allaah placed in the creation and
as it has always been.

Secondly: After extensively researching this issue in the past, I hold there is a level of extremism
exhibited on both sides of the raw milk issue.

• An extremism in denying raw milk’s (real milk’s) health benefits coupled with an exaggeration
and excessive fear mongering of the risk of infection given current strict legal requirements for
raw milk provision, and given the fact that food poisoning has been greatly increasing over the
decades in developed nations through the food supply in general, which clearly has nothing to
do with raw milk exclusively.

• Then an extremism in the negation, or downplaying of a clear history of infection arising from
raw milk
1
, its being a vehicle of disease, along with the promotion of raw milk consumption
without
the appropriate qualifications, precautions and checks on the other hand.

I want to share with you information that elaborates upon these matters so that we can have a clearer
idea of the position I am coming from, from a religious, scientific and historical
point of view.
Observations and corrections on anything found below are welcome.

I stand in the middle and believe current testing standards and hygiene protocols can be successfully
used to produce high quality, safe raw milk, milk that can and ought to be sought for anyone wishing to
taste and benefit from real pure milk and it’s medicinal qualities.

I also believe it is more than just in the realm of possibility.


1
Why this raw milk was implicated in much disease has historical reasons which are discussed in detail in this
paper. A main reason was the circumstances surrounding the actual production and processing of milk.

The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk
14

It is actually being done – in the millions of gallons
, without a single proven, incidence of food
poisoning, as an example from one farm in the US (amongst many others in many countries) that fulfil
strict legal requirements and must be certified to produce such milk.

The historical literature also gives evidence to the fact that high quality milk was produced in the early
19
th
century all the way to the 20
th
century, in parallel with the “swill” milk of that era (which definitely
needed to be pasteurised). The quality of that clean milk was equal to today’s “Grade A” pasteurised
milk in the US, and was used to cure disease (whilst the “swill” milk was causing disease). Such milk
has always been available, and will continue to be available inshaa’Allaah.

This is discussed in detail in the paper.




The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk
15
Brief Summary of This Paper on the Issue of Milk

Raw, fresh, pure milk, as it has always been in the creation
2

from cattle in their natural habitat feeding
on pasture and herbage (grass, shrubs and plants) has great and undeniable benefits. Amongst such
benefits are those textually stated in the Prophetic Sunnah that also encourages the use of such milk as
medicine for its curative properties.

Nations and societies have enjoyed this (non-pasteurised, non-homogenised) milk for thousands of
years. Had there been inherent danger within it and no inherent benefits, it would have quickly
disappeared from the food supply.

The Arabs, the Bulgars and the Swiss are amongst just a few societies and cultures who have enjoyed
superior health due to the abundance of consumption of raw and fermented, soured dairy products. The
Bulgars routinely lived into their 100s and over, with reports of some even reaching ages of over 140
according to early 20
th
century researchers.

Fresh, natural, pure, raw milk is a living food that consists of hundreds of components amongst which
are nutrients, enzymes, proteins, inherent immune-giving elements, living organisms (lactic acid
bacteria) and more. It loses its living nature through heat treatment, rendering it an inert and lifeless
food that is inferior to fresh, natural milk.

With the advent of the 19
th
century industrialized nation state, with its conditions of filth, squalor,
despicable standards of personal hygiene, abundance of disease, and the increased demand for milk due
to the growth of cities, milk became a major vehicle for transmission of disease (alongside water and
food in general). Pasteurisation was an immediate, but not much-liked, temporary solution. The ideal
solution was to engineer a clean milk supply. This was simply not practical at the time, and given the
disease incidence, it was not something that could provide an immediate solution, due to how long this
would have taken to implement nationally.

For political and economical reasons, in addition to the immediate and easy solution granted by
pasteurisation, pasteurisation became more or less universal after the second world war. The fact that it
reduced disease incidence is undeniable, but as much credit should be given to the cleaning of the milk
supply initiated by conscientious doctors such as Henry Coit and his “Medical Milk Commission”. It
was an interplay of these two factors that led to disease reduction. The above occurred pretty much in
all Western nations in the first half of the 20
th
century.

From the very beginning of the 20
th
century the “certified milk movement” embodied in the “Medical
Milk Commission” was responsible for the cleaning up of the milk supply in cities all across the United
States. This movement had its parallel in England. They were responsible, as a result of their efforts, for
the production of “Grade A Raw” milk whose quality in terms of bacterial count was equivalent, if not
better than today’s “Grade A” pasteurised milk in the US. Fresh, raw, clean, safe milk was available
throughout the 19
th
and early 20
th
century and still is today.

When one goes back to the books of that time discussing the problem of milk supply, it is found that
pasteurisation was looked down upon but deemed essential for the circumstances. It was known that it
produced inferior milk and could never be a replacement for fresh milk produced from a clean supply


2
Refrigeration, homogenisation and pasteurisation were not invented until the 19

th
century. Milk has always been
“raw” and consumed “raw”.



The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk
16
route, the most desired situation. Those most vocal against pasteurisation were doctors. It was cheaper
and less troublesome for state authorities compared to the cost involved in enforcing and ensuring a
naturally clean-milk supply, state or nation-wide.

Pasteurisation simply makes unclean, “pathogen” containing milk of inferior nutritional quality safer for
human consumption. This situation is highly favourable for commercial purposes. There were and still
are ample instances of infection through pasteurised milk and from the existing evidence, these
infections, when they occur are generally much larger and more serious given the compositional nature
of post-pasteurisation milk, and the more complex nature of its production method (allowing greater
scope for contamination).

Currently, provision of fresh, pure raw milk – in various parts of the developed world - is very tightly
regulated and has strict requirements. Stricter measures were legislated during the last 10 years. As
such, raw milk produced under these requirements is superior quality, real milk. Such milk is being
produced right now, and being enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people, in the tens of millions of
gallons. This is milk as Allaah placed it in the creation, and it is found walhamdulillaah for whoever
seeks it.

As with all other foods, milk (whether heat-treated or raw) is subject to contamination. No food can be
made 100% safe. People become seriously ill from eating raw spinach, raw tomatoes and other produce.
As “pathogens” are ubiquitous this is bound to happen with a very wide range of foodstuffs being the
medium of transmission. It is currently possible to produce “pathogen” free, raw milk, in a commercial

setting, and it is in fact being achieved, as it was achieved more than a hundred years ago. There is a
growing realisation of this amongst savvy consumers in all parts of the developed world. These are not
ignorant, ill-informed, uneducated people or laymen.

We will now proceed to expand upon the contents of this summary.



The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk
17
Regarding Pure, Fresh, Raw Milk And Its Health Benefits

An objection raised often is that that “raw milk” has no benefits, and that there has been no proof or
evidence shown, or demonstration of any proof in the scientific research literature that “raw milk” has
beneficial health and medicinal properties.

Such a statement (above) would not be in agreement with the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the
Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam), and the writings of great Salafi scholars such as Ibn al-
Qayyim (rahimahullaah) – specifically the texts that relate to pure, fresh milk.

Thus, such words are not befitting in relation to a food that Allaah mentions in His Book and which the
Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) mentions in the Sunnah and whose benefits are empirically
known for thousands of years to most nations, peoples and societies, and whose disease-curing
characteristic is in fact explicitly stated in the Sunnah.

Pasteurisation was invented in the late 19
th
century. It was applied to milk as an emergency measure and
rightly so, given the circumstances. It did not exist prior to that. Neither did refrigeration, which was
invented in the late 18

th
century. So milk as Allaah placed it in the creation was always “raw”, and it
was always consumed in this manner, often being mixed with cold water (as is found in the Sunnah, for
example).

As for evidence, on HealthyMuslim.Com, there is evidence presented from a compositional point of
view addressing factors of biochemistry, physiology and immunity, clearly illustrating the superiority of
real, natural milk over processed, heat-treated milk. This should be evident to anyone with basic
knowledge of biochemistry.

Environmental hygiene issues
3
are a separate concern from the issue of fresh, pure milk’s inherent
health benefits.

The above objection can be found in statements made by a state epidemiologist for Connecticut, “It has
yet to be demonstrated that raw milk has any beneficial health effects…”, mentioned during a
congressional hearing on the issue of raw, pure milk back in 1994. Another example of such statements
coming from non-Muslims is that made by Mark Finucane and Jonathon Fielding, directors of public
health service bodies, in a report they submitted that, “a review of the literature found no scientific
study which demonstrates medical or health benefits of raw milk”. These are very unbefitting and
inaccurate statements based upon ignorance (as will be illustrated inshaa’Allaah) considering that the
milk that Allaah placed in the creation and which nations and societies have consumed for thousands of
years has always been raw, fresh, living milk from cattle fed on their natural diet.

I would therefore like to expand upon this matter further. This requires of discussion of fresh, raw, pure,
unprocessed milk’s benefits and superiority, as well as the background to pasteurisation in
industrialized nations in the 19
th
and early 20

th
centuries. I will develop each of these two themes in
much detail, and this will allow us to have a fact-based perspective on our point of discussion.



3
Environmental hygiene issues apply to all foods. Any shortcomings in the maintenance of safety standards and
hygiene do not reflect upon the inherent qualities of the food in question When compared to the relative risk of
infection from produce, poultry and beef, the issue becomes clear as one of general hygiene and safety protocols,
and not necessarily the inherent nature of the food. This will be established in what follows. Dairy (pasteurised
and non-pasteurized) accounts for less than 1% of all food borne illnesses.



The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk
18
The Qur’aan, the Sunnah, and the Prophetic Medicine on Fresh, Raw,
Unprocessed, Natural Milk

I am coming from the angle of the Prophetic Medicine, from the work of Ibn al-Qayyim, as it relates to
HealthyMuslim.Com. This applies very specifically to the issue of milk. I would like to establish that
the Prophetic Medicine is the most comprehensive and complete guidance on affairs of health, and this
will formulate the background and supporting context to most of the first-half of this entire paper.

The Prophetic Guidance is the Most Perfect Guidance in the Management of Health

Ibn al-Qayyim states that the guidance of the Messenger is in fact the most perfect of guidance
as
regards to the management of the affairs of health: “So when this is the importance of health (al-

‘aafiyah was-sihhah), we shall mention from His (sallallahu alayhi wasallam’s) guidance
regarding the management of these affairs what will make clear that it is absolutely the most
perfect of guidance by way of which the preservation of the health of the body and the heart, and
the life of this world and the Hereafter is obtained …” (Zaad al-Ma’aad 4/198).

Ibn al-Qayyim further says at the end of the book, addressing an observation that questions about the
connection of the guidance of the Messenger to what Ibn al-Qayyim discusses in his book of the affairs
of health, treatment and medicine, “We have shown you the three foundations of the medicine in the
Quran. So how could you deny that the Law of the Messenger, sent with the welfare of this world
and the next, should be concerned with bodily welfare, as well the welfare of the hearts and that it
guides towards the preservation of the bodily health, repelling [bodily] afflictions, by
comprehensive ways? …” (Zaad al-Ma’aad 4/380)

The Prophetic Medicine Came As a Completion of the Divine Law

Ibn al-Qayyim said, “As for the physical medicine (for treating the bodily ailments) then it came as
a perfection of his Divine Law (Sharee’ah) …” (Zaad al-Ma’aad 4/22).

Thus, we find in the Sunnah numerous affairs that relate to those matters by which bodily ailments can
be treated. In numerous places in his book, “the Prophetic Medicine”, Ibn al-Qayyim stresses the
importance of the diet in the preservation of health (and treatment of disease). I concur with the view of
Ibn al-Qayyim, and its actually from this angle that I am coming from with regards to the issue of pure,
natural, fresh milk (and other issues). The Prophetic guidance is the most perfect of guidance through
which preservation of health is obtained, and it guides to preservation of bodily health and repelling
bodily ailments in comprehensive ways.

Ibn al-Qayyim mentions much from the guidance of the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) in this
regard, as well as detailing all of the foodstuffs and medicines mentioned in the Sunnah and their
benefits and uses, amongst which is fresh, raw milk
.

From The Prophetic Guidance In Relation to the Management of the Affairs of Health Is
the Excellency and Blessings of Real, Pure, Fresh, Unprocessed Milk

From the absolute perfect guidance of the Sharee’ah of the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) is
what it has brought regarding the nature and excellency of real milk – pure milk - milk as it was
intended and placed in the creation by Allaah, the Most High.



The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk
19

Allaah, the Most High said, “And verily! In the cattle, there is a lesson for you. We give you to
drink of that which is in their bellies, from between excretions and blood, pure milk (labanan
khaalisan  ) ; palatable to the drinkers”. (An-Nahl 16:66)

Allaah, the Most High, in this verse has spoken of “labanan khaalisan  ” – pure milk. This
is the description of the milk that is produced by cattle, fed on their natural diet (grass, shrubs and
plants), “khaalisan” (pure) and this is its latent, inherent quality. It was described as such prior to the
invention of pasteurisation
, homogenisation and refrigeration.

It is not possible that cattle, left in the way that Allaah intended, and treated in the way Allaah intended
(in terms of feeding and habitat), should produce milk that contains inherent danger and harm and
should be spoken of as only having claimed benefits. This is simply not possible, lofty and exonerated
is Allaah from that. Thousands of years of mankind’s history and the Prophetic Sunnah bears witness to
the falsehood of this assertion
4
.

Fresh, Pure, Natural Milk Is the Most Beneficial of Drinks and Is In Agreement
(Suitable) To the Fitrah

Ibn al-Qayyim mentions milk (fresh, raw, non-pasteurised, non-homogenised) as being from amongst
the foods and medicines mentioned by the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam). He says, “Milk is at
it’s best when freshly milked … the best kind is that which is intensely white, with a good odour,
delicious to taste, with a slight sweetness, a moderate fattiness and light consistency, neither thin or
thick, and that which is milked from young healthy animals
of moderate flesh, fed on good pasturage
and water.” (Zaad al-Ma’aad 3/353).

This is the milk that I am speaking of, the milk that Allaah has made a blessing and a lesson for
mankind, as it was placed in the creation.

Ibn al-Qayyim also said, “Milk
5
in general is the most beneficial drink for the human body due to
the nutritive and sanguineous elements contained in it, and its being habitual to the state of
childhood, and its suitability for the original nature (fitrah). And in the two books of Saheeh, we
find that that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) was offered a cup of wine and a
cup of milk. He looked at them both and then took the milk. Then Jibreel (alaihis salaam) said, “Praise
be to Allaah who has guided you to the fitrah (the original nature of man)…” (Zaad al-Ma’aad3/354).

Ibn al-Qayyim says, “Cow’s milk nourishes the body, makes it fertile, productive. It releases the
abdomen in moderation. It is the most moderate and excellent of all milks, between sheep’s and goat’s
milk, as to its thinness, thickness and fattiness. In the Sunan, from the hadith of Abdullaah bin Mas’ood
(marfu’) [that the Prophet] said, “See that you drink cow’s milk for they ruminate upon all the
herbage”.” (Zaad al-Ma’aad3/355)

4
Aside from hygiene standard issues, it is in the abuse by men of such cattle in their diet and habitat that will no
doubt have an negative impact on the quality and safety of what they produce. This is established by hard science,
I have scientific papers on this issue dealing with the impact of cattle diet and habitat upon their health, milk
quality and “pathogen” shedding. So in the natural way that cattle should be fed and left, it is not possible that
Allaah would provide a food that contains inherent danger and harm.
5
That is, non-pasteurised, non-homogenised milk, Ibn al-Qayyim preceded these two artificial processes by about
500 years.



The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk
20
Clearly Ibn al-Qayyim is referring to fresh, raw, unprocessed, non-pasteurised, non-homogenised,
natural milk –as it always has been in the creation - and stating clearly that it is the “most beneficial
drink for the human body”. This is the milk from cattle that ruminate on herbage and pasture. This
milk is clearly qualified as such in the Sunnah, as is evident from the hadeeth quoted by Ibn al-Qayyim
above. In other words, its beneficial properties are tied to what cattle eat. If anyone disputes that this
milk, mentioned in the Qur’aan, or in the Sunnah, or by Ibn al-Qayyim, is raw, fresh, unprocessed, non-
pasteurised, non-homogenised, natural milk – I would like to see the evidence for that, and I stand
corrected on the issue.

Al-Qurtubi stated, “Our Scholars said: And how can it not be as such
6
when it is the first thing by
which a person is nourished and which causes the bodies to grow. For it is nutritious, devoid of
harmful things (mafaasid), and it provides bodily support”. Al-Qurtubi is also describing the milk

that is qualified in the Sunnah (as being from cattle fed on pasture and herbage), and states that this is
devoid of harmful things.

Fresh, Pure, Raw Milk Is Not the Swill and Slop Milk of the 19
th
and early 20
th
centuries.

Our scholars here are speaking of fresh,
pure, raw, unprocessed, non-pasteurised,
non-homogenized, real milk, “labanan
khaalisan  ”. Milk was always
taken like this prior to the industrialized
mid to late 19
th
century. The 19
th
century
was the era of modern mass-dairy
production, also the era of filth and squalor
in most industrialized nations. The
situation never arose before this time
where raw milk might as well have been
considered raw sewage. To the right is a
New York Times article dated 12
th
January
1908
7

.

Milk (known as “swill” and “slop” milk)
became the vehicle of transmission for
many diseases. All this came down to the
hygiene standards in society (the primary
factor), what the cattle were fed, how they
were kept, and by whom and how the milk
was acquired, stored and transported and
the very unscrupulous nature of the both the
distilleries (that were using grains to produce whiskey, subsequently used as slop feed for cattle), the
greed of dairies and their disdain for public safety.



6
Referring to pure milk being the most nutritious of all foods. Al-Qurtubi brings the hadeeth narrated by Ibn
‘Abbaas: “And when one of you is given milk to drink, then let him say, “O Allaah bless us therein, and give us
increase in it”, for indeed there is no food or drink that provides greater sufficiency than milk”.
7
Note that not all bacteria in milk are harmful. The majority are beneficial bacteria. Nevertheless, such large
amounts (85 million per cubic centimetre) are not normal.



The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk
21
I refer you to an 1842 book by Robert Hartley, a landmark book, called “An Historical, Scientific and
Practical Essay on Milk as an Article of Human Sustenance, with a Consideration upon the Present
Unnatural Methods of Producing It for the Supply of Large Cities”. Later, I will provide you actual

scans of this book’s content pages so you can see the reality of milk at that time and its reason and
causes, and inshaa’Allaah this will give you a better insight into the realities out of which pasteurisation
emerged and and deemed necessary as an urgent and protective measure, something I entirely agree
with, given the nature of the milk being produced.

Given the above, I hope that by way of your statement, “purported benefits” you are not confusing the
issue of the inherent qualities of a food that is a blessing and a sign from Allaah with purely
environmental and historical issues of precedent for which man is to blame, and which were unique to a
given era.

The Messenger Used to Drink Pure, Unprocessed, Raw Milk, Straight from the Animal

Anas bin Malik (radiallaahu anhu) narrated: Once Allaah’s Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam)
visited us in this house of ours and asked for something to drink. We milked one of our sheep and
mixed it with water from this well of ours and gave it to him.” (al-Bukharee, no. 2407).

And Abu Bakr (radiallaahu anhu) narrated, “While I was on my way, suddenly I saw a shepherd driving
his sheep. I asked him whose servant he was. He replied that he was the servant of a man from the
Quraish. Then he mentioned his name and I recognized him. I asked, “Do your sheep have some milk?”
He replied in the affirmative. I said, “Are you going to milk for me?” He replied in the affirmative. I
ordered him and he tied the legs of one of the sheep. Then I told him to clean the udder (teats) of dust
and to remove dust off his hands. He removed the dust off his hands by clapping his hands. He then
milked a little milk. I put the milk for Allah’s Messenger in a pot and closed its mouth with a piece of
cloth and poured water over it till it became cold. I took it to the Prophet and said, “Drink, O Messenger
of Allaah!” He drank it till I was pleased”. (al-Bukharee, no. 2281)

This is the practice not just of the Prophets, but of a large number of nations, societies and peoples who
kept milch animals, and these are just a couple of examples of scores of narrations found in the Sunnah
in this regard.

Nations and Societies For Thousands of Years Have Prospered and Attained Superior
Health by Way of Real, Pure, Fresh (Non-Pasteurized, Non-Homogenized) Milk

The milk that is mentioned in all of these texts is that milk that is created in the bellies of cattle that are
fed on what they naturally eat (grass, shrubs and plants), given sufficient water, and left in their natural
habitat. This is the same milk which the same nations, peoples and societies have survived and thrived
upon, taking it fresh from their cattle, and it being a source of their excellent health and freedom from
the types of chronic illnesses we witness in contemporary societies. Had this not been the case, and if
Allaah’s blessing of fresh, pure, raw, natural milk had been inherently dangerous, it would have
disappeared entirely from the diets of nations and societies.

I would like to corroborate this view by quoting from some specialists in the field of Pathology,
providing evidence as part of congressional hearings and as expert witnesses in court cases relating to



The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk
22
fresh, pure, raw milk. In a congressional hearing regarding the Senate Bill 201 earlier this year, Dr.
Theodore Beals MD
8
. National Director of Pathology, VA Hospitals
9
(retired), stated,

“It is obvious but it needs to be stated: If [fresh] milk had been hazardous to the individuals
and communities that consumed it, the drinking of [fresh] milk would have disappeared
centuries ago”
10
.

Dr. Beals in a court hearing connected to the same issue, acting as an expert witness stated,

“If a food is unsafe for consumption, it is very quickly eliminated from the diet of cultures.
And in fact history shows that the consumption of milk from domestic animals has
persisted throughout history, and on the basis of that, I don't believe that there’s any
argument but that the consumption of fresh milk is in fact safe, confers competitive
advantage to those that drink it.”

I’ve quoted these statements to make what is otherwise a very obvious
statement of fact and which
exonerates Allaah, the Most High, from placing something in creation that is inherently dangerous to
His creation. Again, we must distinguish between the food itself, and environmental factors affecting its
quality and safety.



8
Worked in Department of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health, licensed as a Medicinal Practitioner,
board certified in Anatomic Pathology after five years specialized training, published over 70 articles in peer-
reviewed journals, has published a book related to pathology, served for 31 years as a pathologist at a Medical
Center and taught Pathology at the University of Michigan to graduates and medical students, and was eventually
made Chief of Pathology at the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service in an Ann Arbor Medical Center.
Later he served as the National Director of Pathology and Laboratory Services for the entire VA Medical
Administration in the United States (which includes over a 100 medical centers across the US). He also served on
the Scientific Advisory Board for the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.
9
This is a collection of over a hundred different medical centers in the US.
10
You can view this footage on Youtube.

The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk
23
Real, Pure, Natural Milk Is a Remedy and a Cure For Every Disease
According to the Sunnah

We hear often from the propagandists against the milk that Allaah placed in the creation, “Raw milk
advocates claim that unpasteurized milk cures or prevents disease, but no scientific evidence supports
this notion.”

Contrary to the likes of these statements of ignorance, real, pure, fresh (living, and life-giving) milk is a
cure for every disease according to the Prophetic statements. This alone should be sufficient to illustrate
its benefit.

• Abdullaah Ibn Mas`ood (radiallaahu `anhu) narrates that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu
`alayhi wasallam) said,
             
“Drink cow’s milk, for indeed it ruminates on every herbage, and it is a cure for every
disease.” Related by al-Haakim and declared Saheeh by Imaam al-Albaanee in Saheeh al-
Jaami’ as-Sagheer (no.4059).

In this hadeeth the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) encouraged the drinking of cow’s milk,
linking it to the fact that cows ruminate from the best herbage (the natural situation). In other words, the
nutritive and disease-curing element of cattle milk have been associated with the nature of what is
consumed by cattle, which is grass, plants and shrubs. Ibn al-Qayyim alludes to this fact when he
speaks of camel’s milk and the nature of what it eats affecting the medicinal quality of the milk it
produces.

The overwhelming majority of milk consumed by people today (at least in the developed nations) is
milk from cattle fed on an unnatural diet, kept in an unnatural habitat. This, as you will know from
study of dairy science, has a direct and extremely strong effect upon the health of the cow and therefore
the quality of the milk produced. Thus, fresh, raw, pure milk from cattle fed on their natural diet is far
superior to the majority of milk consumed today, which is simply inferior, unclean milk cleaned up for
public consumption.

• From Ibn Mas’ood (radiallaahu `anhu) who narrates that the Messenger of Allaah
(sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said,
         
      “Take cow’s milk as (medicinal) treatment for indeed
I hope that Allaah places a healing therein, for indeed it ruminates upon every
herbage”. Related by at-Tabaraanee and declared Hasan by Imaam al-Albaanee in
Saheeh al-Jaami’ as-Sagheer (no. 2929).

If there was no other response to those physicians and scientists who claim that natural, pure, fresh, raw
milk has “no benefits”, and take issue with raw, natural, fresh, milk as Allaah placed it in the creation,
except for this hadeeth, it alone would have been sufficient. For this hadeeth commands with the use of
cow’s milk as medicinal treatment, and ties it’s curative properties to the nature of what the cattle eat.


This one hadeeth - upon careful reflection – embodies the entirety of what is in this paper, and
what is being advocated on HealthyMuslim.Com.




The Prophetic Medicine, and Raw, Natural, Pure Cow’s Milk
24

• From Taariq bin Shihaab who narrates that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi
wasallam) said,
               
   “Indeed, Allaah the Most High, did not create a disease except that he
created for it a cure, so upon you is cow’s milk for indeed it ruminates upon every herbage”.
Reported in the Musnad of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and declared Saheeh by Imaam al-Albaanee in
Saheeh al-Jaami’ as-Sagheer (no. 1808).

• From Abdullaah bin-Mas’ood who narrates that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi
wasallam) said,
              
    “Indeed Allaah the Most High, did not send down a disease except
that He sent down for it a cure, except death. So upon you is cow’s milk, for indeed it
ruminates upon every herbage”. Reported by al-Haakim and declared Saheeh by Imaam al-
Albaanee in Saheeh al-Jaami’ as-Sagheer (no. 1810).

Confirmation of what I have explained above wa-lillaahil-hamd. These are specific commands from the
Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) to seek medicinal treatment through cow’s milk with the
explained reason that it ruminates upon every herbage (grass, shrubs, plants). Thus, the quality of the
milk produced, depends on the quality of what cow’s eat. Note also that the use of cow’s milk as a cure
has been explicitly tied to the statements that Allaah never sent down a disease except that He also sent
its cure.

• Abdullaah Ibn Mas`ood (radiallaahu `anhu) also narrates that the Messenger of Allaah
(sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said,
         
      “Drink cow’s milk, for indeed it is a remedy, its butterfat
11

is a cure, but beware of its meat, for indeed its meat is disease”
12
. Related by al-Haakim, Abu
Nu’aym and Ibn as-Sunnee and Imaam al-Albaanee declared it Saheeh in Saheeh al-Jaami’ as-
Sagheer (no. 4060).

• Suhaib (radiallaahu `anhu) narrates that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam)
said,
           “Drink cow’s milk for
indeed it is a cure, and its butterfat is a remedy and its meat is disease”. Related by Ibn as-
Sunnee and Abu Nu’aym and declared Saheeh by Imaam al-Albaanee (rahimahullaah) in
Saheeh al-Jaami’ as-Sagheer (no.4061).



11
Referring to clarified butter, which is ghee, where milk solids are removed after gentle heating.
12
As a clarification, the meaning of the ahaadeeth according to the scholars as it relates to the meat of the cow is
that it is in reference to excessive consumption of such meat and does not mean an actual prohibition of it as such,
as the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) sacrificed a cow for his wives on the farewell pilgrimage, as is
related in Sunan Abu Dawud. As for its “disease” it is explained as follows: Since the cow eats voraciously from
all sources and eats the good and bad, including dirt and filth, then its meat, in its composition, will contain the
harmful elements it has been feeding on. As for the milk, then the milk only contains the good elements, since
Allaah creates the milk from between the blood and excretion, and it is “pure milk”. Thus the milk is a cure and
healing, and the meat is disease, i.e. excessive consumption leads to disease. This explanation can be found from
the quotes that al-Manaawee brings in his explanation of Suyootee’s al-Jaami’ us-Sagheer, and we will take some
quotes from it further below.